Pixeltan EP

Troubleman Unlimited; 2002

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The only accurate way to depict what is commonly perceived as the 'New York sound' on record would be to do shit like field-record our jail cells, scrape chins, and do a lot of screaming. Amplified screaming. Affected screaming. And while Pixeltan don't quite go that far, they definitely have the screaming part down, and with plenty of grunts and moans to boot. While remaining minimal enough to stay cool, Pixeltan manages to ride perverted human drum-machine beats just on the edge of exploding. The crackly, fucked-up guitar (it's a synth! No, wait, it's a bass!) is consistently surprising in its range of sounds.

This four-song EP clocks in at just under twelve minutes, another nod to its style-- as if to say, "We could hang out here a while longer, but this scene is beat," or, "There is most definitely a better place to be right now than in this fucking recording studio." Several aspects of the music itself favor this short length, including the inhumane beats pounded out by Hisham (Black Dice's drummer, who has since left Pixeltan to do the Black Dice gig full time) and the Yoko Ono-on-crack stylings of Mika's vocals. Really, this EP couldn't go on for that much longer without completely detonating, erasing itself, and leaving no trace of its origins.

All four songs stay enough within the boundaries of dance music: hit it and quit it. Pixeltan definitely hits it, with sneered breathy vocals: "It's gonna get you... It's gonna get you... It's gonna get you... It's gonna get you... It's gonna get you... It's gonna get you... GONNA GET YOU... GONNA GET YOU... GONNA GET YOU..." After listening to this EP over and over again, real paranoia begins to set in. This is the New York of Now.

Comparisons can clearly be drawn to the obvious: Liquid Liquid, Public Image Ltd., etc. Troubleman's website says Pixeltan draw from these sources, "but with a harder, more electronic edge." I'm not sure if that's 100% accurate, but it's pretty damn close. To me it sounds like those bands, but with a more modern feel and an overdriven, erratic, second-half-of-"Sister Ray" vibe: totally sloshed and yelling from the back of the bar.

What Pixeltan lacks in length, they make up for with actual power and movement, which tons of these bullshit New York bands clearly lack. What they have in power, they may lack in diversity-- which is a difficult thing to judge over the course of twelve minutes, no matter how many times you listen to it. Still, the power level stays at ten, and if you crank it and leave it there, the twelve minutes seem to last a lot longer.